Spar Pact
by Writer Awakened
Summary: Some time before the final bout, Lyn and Hector came to a pact that they would spar together. Many things can happen in the sparring pit...


_Spar Pact_

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_Lyn and Hector made a pact to spar before the final bout, when time gave them opportunity. Was this decision a four-letter word, too?_

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The lithe, frail-framed, able-bodied Sacaen woman assigned herself an aggressive pose.

The clumsy, stonewall, strong-of-arm Ostian warrior readied his axe on his shoulder and suited up a confident grin.

"Ready?"

Lyn nodded.

"As I'll ever be."

In a match between two people who couldn't have been more evenly matched, it was no surprise they took off from their starting spots at about the same moment. What was more, it was evident that the match would take place more on Hector's side (which was more a ring of pride than a line drawn in the sand; Heavy-Head didn't much like being pushed back).

Sword and axe clashed together in a blur of flint and iron. Lyn was used to the sudden feeling of -_impact!-_ and _friction_ she felt with each successful clash of blade; Hector was used to feeling nothing through his gauntlets.

"Gah! Heh. You've gotten a lot stronger since we first sparred," Hector hissed through gritted teeth.

"Of course. What, you think I haven't been practicing?"

"When _was_ that, when we first sparred?"

Lyn nodded and sharpened the angle at which she was biting into his position. For all his weight, Hector was doing an admirable job of holding her blade off (though admittedly, she had the advantage of weaponry).

The reluctant Caelin heiress and the son of the Ostian marquess were not alone in their heated little tussle. All around them in the beaten, tan sands of the sparring pit, their allies were busy sparring as well.

To the left of the royal two, sisters Fiora and Farina were clashing lances with one another, the heads of their spears yelling and hollering as the girls' angry faces painted a similar emotional picture. The small pieces of string denoting their status as members of Ilia's oh-so-vaunted Pegasus wings were cast aside in unimportance, their hair flying haphazardly every which way.

To the right of the royal two, fellow mages Erk and Priscilla cast half-strength, whole-hearted bursts of fire at each other, making sure to make the most out of both the tomes' potency and of the freedom the tomes' mental lightness was giving them. The sage and the (dismounted) valkyrie, working at a slow and definite pace, took time to fire up friendly conversation as they "fired" up one another.

And, slightly off in the distance, Florina rose a thin training lance and clashed with the sword of Sir Kent of Caelin. Though it would seem that the dutiful knight held quite a stern advantage over his frail, timid female counterpart, it was obvious that the pegasus knight could indeed hold her own. All the while, Kent shouted words of encouragement and gentle kindness to the young woman, who seemed to be as flattered as she was inspired.

_Clang_!

Hector reared his axe back and brought it clanging against Lyn's sword with a mighty noise. Expecting to gain some sort of advantage in terms of sheer sound and force, he was chagrined to find the Sacaen swordswoman gave no ground.

Lyn spoke through the struggle. "You know, I suppose I have an advantage here. My sword is a bit smaller and easier to handle than an axe is, and I'm surely faster than you…"

"Hah!" Hector gave a confident smile as he tried to gain an advantage in footwork (which was about as stupid an idea as it sounds, against such a fleet-footed young woman). "You might. Still, we're holding pretty even here, eh? Maybe until I do…this!"

Putting an extra "oomph" of force onto the handle of his axe, Hector pushed Lyn back just an inch- the split-second advantage needed to flip the axe around in his hands and meet the brunt of Lyn's blazing blade with the back of his own.

"Wha- a blade-catch?" Lyn stammered as she found the edge of her sword slowly pulling the hilt upwards. She struggled to hold on as Hector wrested it upwards.

"In blazes!" Hector boomed. "What, you didn't expect I'd think of something like that? Even my training axes have little surprises to them!"

Indeed, this was more than a surprise to Lyn. The sharp iron hook on the back of his axe's edge had caught her blade and the farther back Hector pulled his axe, the more she felt the blade slipping away.

"Ready, and"-

A great yank, and the blade flew into the air, Lyn gasped, and Hector reached one great gauntlet-clad hand into the air to catch the free sword by its edge and pull it back down.

"That's- that's not exactly fair, now is it?" Lyn scowled and gestured wildly to her sword, still in the laughing Hector's grasp. Her protests were as fiery and spirited as she was. "I don't know whether Id've expected you to fight honorably, but you should have, regardless!"

"Hmph!" Hector said, still laughing. "I don't see what's so horrible about having a hook on the back of a training axe. You fight axe-wielders as smart as I am, and you might find yourself on the wrong end of one of these- and the foe would show you little mercy. Keep that in mind, huh?"

He tossed back the blade, and Lyn caught it without hesitation.

"So, you don't think I'd be prepared for everything? Honestly, Hector…you can be so frustrating sometimes! I can't understand you!"

The man laughed again, this time accompanied by a warm, accepting smile. "Well, I don't understand you much either…that didn't stop me from offering a spar, now did it? And, you seem pretty competitive today. I meant to say before, but I was a bit tied up."

"Tsh! Competitive! I'd just rather not have myself at a disadvantage when we end this!" said Lyn matter-of-factly. "And, if I recall, it was I who asked you to spar! We made a pact, remember?"

"We did, didn't we?" he replied, in an opposing matter-of-fact tone. "Well, I'm coming through on my promise, aren't I? I'm a man of my word."

"You are. Let's continue."

Even while entangled in a sparring session, Hector couldn't help but notice a couple old "friends" as they "sparred" a distance away in another part o' the pit.

In this case, it was more like a glorified game of "keep-the-hell-away", with Serra somewhat playfully dodging rhythmic blows from Matthew's hook-sword. From a distance, Hector squinted and could just barely make out a puppeteering look on the cleric's face and a half-bored, half-exasperated look on the thief's.

"Right there. Victory."

Hector let out a small gasp, and turned his head _slooooowly_ back towards Lyn, about whom he had forgotten.

Her blade was placed squarely at the base of his neck.

"You're going to cut me down here, girl?"

Lyn grinned, after claiming the win. "No, I won't. But you should pay more heed to whomever you're fighting. Take your attention away from your foe and they'd show you…"-

-dramatic pause-

"…little mercy."

"Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Lyn scowled again, now a bit more playfully. "What's so funny, huh?"

"That was just like me, wasn't it?"

"Of course."

"Then again…now we're tied."

Lyn smiled. "Break the tie?"

Hector tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Hold, Lyn. I…there's something I wanted to ask you. You're…not going to shy away from a tough question, are you?"

"I…I don't think so." Lyn stopped a second and waited for the sudden change _back_ from serious to lackadaisically confident. "Then again, with you so serious, I don't really know what to expect."

"Okay, well…I'm going to ask it anyway, so bear with me. Lyn. What was it like living on the plains, alone? I at least grew up around my brother, and Oswin, and all those people back in Ostia. But you…"

"Asking the difficult questions, are we?" Lyn smiled.

"Sure am. I warned you."

"No, it's alright. It was…lonely. That was six months before I began my first journey. I…can't even remember it very well. It's like I _know_ what happened, but a part of me is pushing it back…"

"Suppressed memories…"

Lyn tilted her head up, as it was bowed in contemplation. "What was that?"

"…no, it was nothing. Go on."

"Well, I…for the longest time, I was living on my own, foraging. I…I had never known life on my own before. My father and mother…they were so kind to me. But, my father told me, that even if he…even if he were to die, that a part of him would always be with me. Always…"

"I see."

"I suppose, that would be…" Lyn fingered the edge of her sword. "The part that took that opportunity, the part that pressed the blade against your neck."

"It's a shame." Hector said, shaking his bowed head (out of respect- Hector was outspoken, but he knew something of respecting the fallen).

"What is?"

"Shame that I'd never get to meet your father."

"Ah…stop it, Hector!" insisted the Sacaen girl, shaking the pink out of her face. "There's no point in saying things like that now! Anyway…you want to break this tie?"

He looked up, and his now idle eyes looked around.

Again, to the left sparred Fiora and Farina, their lances now dragging against the ground in fatigue, their fingers pointing at each other, both scolding each other about the littlest thing, about their petty sisterly feuds, about the latter's apparent greed, about the former's obstinate detachment, about…

And again, to the right stood Erk and Priscilla, now releasing jets of pretty flame in red and blue into the sky- they were less shows of strength and battle than of finesse and peace. And the brilliant azure and crimson-orange tongues of flame conjured by Erk of Etruria spun and wove around Princess Priscilla's flames in a protective manner, as if to say that no harm would _ever_ come to her as long as he was around…

And again, in the near distance sparred Good Sir Kent as he crossed his sword with Lady Florina's lance, doing his best to keep the steel of her shaft from digging into him- yet all the while taking note, taking note of how the shy young woman was putting something into her fighting, taking note of how she was finally coming out of her shell, taking note of how pretty and soft her face was, and how needy she was of someone to stand at her side…

Hector turned back to Lyn, who had to quickly recompose herself, realizing Hector had refocused _him_self.

"Lyn, I'd…I'd rather keep it a tie. This is one battle I'm not so sure I'd be satisfied winning."

"I…for fun, then? Just to see?"

Hector nodded. "Yeah, alright. One more time. This to settle it."

"No more blade-catches?"

"You want me to go easy on you? Because I could go easy on you, but you damn well better believe you couldn't claim a 'clean' victory going on like that. Well?"

Lyn smirked. "Do as you will, then."

"Alright!"

Lyn dashed in and swept her blade across and again caught Hector's axe, the steel and iron of their weapons locking together yet again and pressing, pressing, _pressing_.

_Hmph, I don't know why, but…I can't even give this my all! For some reason, I just can't…just can't…_

Hector flinched, visibly, apparently at some twinge of something that was far above being physical. Seeing an opportunity that could not be passed up, Lyn delivered a quick stroke to the handle of his axe, dislodging it, and attacked with a swift stroke to the man's armor. A tremendous clank, and both fighters knew of the outcome, and of the winner.

_I won…is that all? Is that really…the only reason I wanted to fight him? Is this really so…great?_

Hector chuckled and smiled. "Well, you won. Fair and square. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You're a damn formidable fighter in your own right, even for one so small. I guess I need to work on fighting swordfighters."

"Yes, well, I…"

"Mmm?" Hector tilted his head. "Here, step a bit closer. We're not fighting, and to be honest, it would be easier to hear each other if you came closer."

Lyn did as suggested, moving closer to Hector until they were but two feet apart, and she needed to crane her neck a bit to see as equals to the taller man. In more ways than one, she had never thought she could be this close to someone again…

"You were about to say something, I think?"

"Yes, well, I was going to say, er…" Lyn halted for a second, thought a moment, then caught the bird of thought in her fingers and spoke the last bit with pride. "" meant to say, even though I won, you seemed to be going a bit easy."

"Hmm, really?" asked Hector. He already knew exactly what she was talking about, and he already knew exactly why. "I thought I was giving it my all. Remember the blade-catch? I didn't hold back."

"No, not hold back…just…went a bit easy, that's all. Maybe that's not the right term."

"Lyn. You're blushing."

She was indeed, and, proud as she was, did not tried to hide it, and could not hide the fact she was stammering- almost reflexively so.

"I…of course I am! You don't have to point that out of a lady, you know!"

"To be honest, I don't mind much. You know what I think? I think it makes you look more attractive. At least, now you look like more than just a wild wolf."

"W-what?" Lyn replied, breaking a laugh. "Oh, now, Hector. That's a bit much, even for you! Besides, you can't say that you gave your _all_! I've seen you in battle…you are truly ferocious! The way you attack when you're angry…it's a force to be reckoned with! As if you truly believe in what you are fighting for."

Hector shrugged. _Pick my battles, pick my battles…_

"Heh. You're right: I did go easy. And you're right: I do have something to fight for. For people like you, Eliwood, Ninian, Nils. The victims of this age. It's just that…I might be a loose cannon, but…I'm gentle. I couldn't bring myself to scratch you. I just couldn't. I told you that before, didn't I?"

Simply stunned, and somehow harnessing a smile, Lyn nodded.

Hector turned his head about, looking for an escape to break the awkward gaze.

Again, to the left stood Fiora and Farina. This time, their lances lay forgotten, their words fallen away. Now sister and sister stood arm in arm, embracing warmly and consoling each other with gentle words. Together, each of them placed the string in each other's hair and stroked it as they wept joyfully, just as they had done years ago.

Again, to the right was Erk and Priscilla, who now sat in the coarse yet firm sand of the training pit, arm around each other, casting streaks of fire into the sky. And no one, _no one _who came through and saw the young man and the young woman looking up into such a spectacle could say it was not romantic.

And again, in the near distance stood Sir Kent and Lady Florina. The young knight's lips touched the pegasus knight's so gently, and he stroked her face so gently, it was something almost of a storybook, painted entirely in dreamlike pastels. As it ended, the stoic face of the knight and the blushing face of the young woman pulled apart, and the timid, tentative look on her face seemed to have given way to a look of pure joy and comfort. One couldn't help but think that together they gave each other something that when combined, made a force lesser than that of any weapon and yet much greater.

One last glance away gave Hector a sight of Matthew and Serra, the thief extending a hand of armistice and friendship to the cleric, with whom he was on…_odd_ ground. Almost begrudgingly, Serra smiled and took his hand. Surprisingly (or…maybe not?), Matthew found his hand to be a little bit crushed as he withdrew it.

Hector turned back, a content smile on his face, and found he was once again caught unawares.

The sudden, unexpected feeling on his lips was like that of a pillow, and though his eyes widened in pure surprise, he couldn't help but closing them just for a little bit.

It was about ten seconds, but it could have been either a minute or a lifetime. Lyn withdrew and stepped down from her tiptoes.

"W-what was that?" Hector said; flabbergasted, but unable to evade smiling. "You really caught me off-guard that time!"

"Oh, just let me have this one time…just this once…"

"But, now we're uneven, eh? That was a dirty trick, Lyn: a pretty underhanded one."

Lyn smiled mildly and her whole person seemed to both flutter and be aflutter.

But, by Hector's demeanor and his gentle smile, he wanted by all accounts for Lyn to be at calm. To be…happy. But he wasn't going to let her get away with this. No sir. No way.

"At least let me get a free shot too. After all, I made a pact with myself. And I'm a man of my word."


End file.
